Study of youth sports reveals disturbing trends

Robert Rausch is never short of topics for his Children in Competitive Sports class at Westfield State College.

"We never lack for material," said Rausch, who has been teaching the class for 10 years. "There's something in the newspaper literally every day.

"We get great discussions. Participation level is very high. Everyone has a story, both the good, the bad, and the ugly, which adds to the discussion and makes the class interesting."

Interesting? Yes. Good news? Not necessarily.

Rausch, who played sports growing up and has coached and officiated multiple sports in his adulthood, said he has his concerns about the road youth sports, in general, is traveling.

"One time you played soccer for three months of the year, played probably 10 games, and when that was over you moved on to another activity," said Rausch, 50, who grew up in Green Bay, Wis. "Now, as part of your soccer experience, you're also doing weight training in many circumstances, or endurance training. And when the season is over in 30 or 40 games, you have a non-traditional season, and you're encouraged to do something in your offseason.

"From the students, all the time, I get this, 'I was told I wouldn't make the varsity soccer team if I didn't participate on this summer traveling squad.' We've become much more specialized to the point where it's much less about enjoyment and fun, and really about winning and being the best, which goes against the surveys that suggest kids participate for fun."

Rausch said a study regarding what youth athletes are hoping to accomplish by playing sports, conducted by Michigan State University, listed winning as No. 10, while having fun, playing with friends and doing an activity ranked much higher. Another study showed 75 percent of kids will stop playing sports by the age of 15.

Other than discussing hot topics, Rausch has the students conduct surveys on campus on athletes and non-athletes.

"We want to teach the students in terms of the dynamics of youth sports, and from my perspective, how it's changed over time," said Rausch, of West Springfield. "Initially, (youth sports) was an outlet for energy purposes, good recreational fun, and an enjoyable activity you can do with others, and to some degree compete. Largely today, many people really have an angle, whether it's a college scholarship or a career in the pros as a means of getting an education; belonging to a team and a support group. I think it's changed a little bit in that sense."

Rausch also said there are, among others, two big problems in youth sports: parents' perspectives regarding college scholarships, and coaches.

"Someone told me about a survey, which I've yet to track down, that says 75 percent of all parents think their (high school) child is good enough to get a college scholarship based on their athletic ability," he said. "And in actuality, it's a little less than one percent. That's a big discrepancy."

Regarding coaching, Rausch said there's a Catch 22 situation. There are 3 million to 3.5 million youth coaches in American, with two-thirds of those coaches being volunteers.

"There in itself is a dilemma," Rausch said. "We have a demand for these folks who are giving up their time in the name of their son or daughter, or for giving back to the community. Can we ask them to take a workshop or take some courses so they have a little bit of a background in terms of child development and youth sports in general?"

Rausch said his students enjoying going on Youtube to download videos regarding youth sports, for example, "You can find dozens of videos: the football father running out onto the field to tackle an opponent - an 8-year-old or a 10-year-old. It's insane."

For parents interested in becoming coaches and educating themselves, Rausch suggested going to www.nays.org and www.ncaa.org. For a good read, he also recommended a book released in March, written by Tom Farrey: "Game On - The All-American Race To Make Champions Of Our Children."